Kaiser Foundation Buys Former Outlet Mall Site Near Turkey Mountain

A 60-acre tract of land once destined to become home to an outlet mall has been purchased by the George Kaiser Family Foundation with the intent of making it part of the River Parks Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness area.

7/20/2015 Related Story: Plan For Proposed Outlet Mall Near Turkey Mountain Pulled

News On 6 partner, The Frontier, reports the foundation paid $2.95 million for the property, land records show. The property — which includes a 55-acre tract and a five-acre tract — had been owned by the Robert E. and Dorothy S. Grant Family Trust and Beeline Sixty-One Properties, LLC.

The River Parks Authority’s board of directors in December approved the receipt of a $5.6 million loan from the Kaiser Foundation and QuikTrip Corp. to purchase property to expand the Turkey Mountain footprint.

The agreement calls for River Parks to use funding from the Vision 2025 renewal package to repay the loan. The Vision renewal package, which goes to voters April 5, includes $5.6 million for River Parks to use for land acquisition.

GKFF served as an intermediary in the deal, purchasing the land to hold it until River Parks can use Vision funds to buy it the land from the foundation.

The sale marks the end of a contentious battle between opponents of the proposed outlet mall and those who argued the mall would deliver millions of dollars in needed sales tax revenue to the city every year.

News On 6 partner, The Frontier, has a more in depth look at this story, you can read it here.